Graziano uses nonalcoholic amaro in several drinks, especially alongside other spirits. “Flavor is a lot like color; what you put next to it affects how it’s seen. When you taste a nonalcoholic bourbon, for example, you always feel like you’re missing the flavor of alcohol, the burn. But when you put it next to a nonalcoholic amaro, you get some bitterness, and it puts it in a different frame.” Graziano uses Namari, which she says froths really well in shaken cocktails, in an Italian twist on the carajillo. Because it’s slightly sweeter than other N/A amari on the market, she recommends dialing back syrups in recipes you use it in.

Graziano uses this product, an N/A aperitif, as a dry vermouth alternative. It’s made with botanicals like wormwood, rosemary and gentian and undergoes reverse osmosis to dealcoholize the wine. Graziano admires the company behind the product. “When the tariffs were announced, they were like, ‘We’re going to eat the prices because we value our customer relationships more,’ which I just thought was very cool and respectful,” she says. “It doesn’t feel like another cash-grab product.” She prizes the spirit’s ability to take on flavors; for Bar Palmina’s yuzu Negroni, she infuses the vermouth with shiso leaf for extra herbal flavor.

N/A agave spirits are newer to the landscape. One of the most mainstream entrants to the category is Lewis Hamilton’s Almave, a tequila alternative, which has been gaining traction in N/A circles and traditional cocktail bars alike. Tomonotomo, which has drawn comparisons to mezcal, meanwhile, has so far flown more under the radar. The small team behind Tomonotomo, led by an ex-bartender, sources, ferments and distills maguey with spicy and smoky ingredients like ginger, pasilla mixe chile and smoked pineapple. “It holds flavor better than any other mezcal that I’ve used,” says Graziano, who describes it as smoky and funky. She’s used the Oaxaca-born spirit in a variety of applications, from an Old-Fashioned to a milk punch to a Mai Tai.

Gin can be a difficult spirit to replicate. “I haven’t been able to find one [N/A] gin that tastes like what I’m going for, where it’s well-rounded, botanical, floral and super dry,” says Graziano. That’s where a blend comes in. Using Monday Gin, which is made with cucumber, coriander and juniper extracts, satisfies the botanical and floral profile, while Pentire Adrift, made with sage and sea salt, adds the desired dryness. Bar Palmina’s house dirty Martini calls on a 50/50 blend of the two. “Nonalcoholic [products] are so limited. Because of that, I kind of just have to be resourceful.”

Starting with water, oleo saccharum or an N/A wine base, Graziano also makes her own zero-proof spirits for the bar. The DIY approach is partly out of necessity; some commonly used spirits (like Lillet, Curaçao and Chartreuse, which she has made dupes of) don’t have a quality zero-proof counterpart. But the practice also helps economically. Because the margins on drinks made with N/A spirits tend to be lower than traditional cocktails, making the bases in-house can help bring down costs. As an artist, she also just enjoys the creative aspect. “When I fell in love with photography, it was in the darkroom and processing my own film, watching magic happen. It was very tactile. Through a 15-year career, it turned into me sitting in Photoshop for 15 hours a day. It was so far removed. “So it’s really nice to do stuff with my hands again,” she says. “It’s also a selfish artistic challenge for me. Like, well, can I do it?”